semana 2 (Week 2)

Always great to hear from my boy in Provo, but not great to hear that he STILL did not get his slacks from the slackers over at missionary mall!  Two weeks late and found out that they arrived and were just sitting around in back untouched and unaltered.  After a little "talking" to the manager from a distraught mother over her son only have two pair of slacks for the past two weeks at the MTC, a very nice manage promised to have them tailored and delivered today with a personal phone call letting me know it was done.  Now...that wasn't so bad was it?  Grateful to be on to BETTER things like Elder Thompson's email...glad he is doing so well!


Semana 2!!
It is now week 2 here at the Provo MTC!! I miss you all dearly but I'm getting perfectly while I rely on Christ! So to begin, I will be sending out mass emails every week and I absolutely love hearing from you all, however I only have 60 minutes of email at a time so I can't respond personally to several of you. But I would love to talk to you all so while I'm still here at the MTC you guys can make a dearelder.com account and the turn your emails into letters for me, just while in Provo, Include you addresses and I have an entire week to write you back! 

However if at all possible I would love to receive personal letters from you all! I'll admit its disheartening going to the mailbox several times a day as a district and everyone gets at least a letter while I sit awkwardly to the side, then try to read everyones emails and respond in only a 60 minutes time frame. All I'm saying is that I would absolutely love receiving letters mostly and emails full of pictures and maybe shorter thoughts! Love you all!

So this week has been a good one! I continually grow closer to my district and more importantly to the Lord, I've been doing my best to recognize and act on the promptings he sends me, I feel them mostly during personal study and while we teach our mock investigators, the other day I was searching the scriptures and my heart for ways I could be a better missionary like Nephi was in Hel. 10:2 (I believe) and I started in a random spot, and after the spirit led me through several random scriptures I ended up in D&C 11: 12 and 21. It gave me exactly what I needed to hear to be more like Nephi was!

Through this past week my companion has opened up to me more and more, but I've realized he can be a very judgemental person who is quick to accuse. There was a blow up the other day and we had to seperate our selves from the rest of the group and once we worked it out with the missionary in our district the spirit pushed me to talk to him about it. I told him my expectations for myself as a missionary and what gods expectations are for us, then we continued to point out our own weaknesses in that specific situation and we talked to eachother about what we could have done better and what we will do better. I find that we continually become closer as companions, but we'll see if it ever leads to an actual friendship, I hope it does because he has the potential to become a brilliant companion.

I didn't explain this in my last email, but I'm not actually on the main Provo campus, theres a west campus for just spanish missionaries and I am very blessed to be a part of it! En mi Casa theres 4 of us elders sharing a really nice 3 bedroom apartment to ourselves! plus the grounds by our classes are beautifully landscaped! its very nice to be able to go out in personal time and sit under the trees next to the stream with waterfalls! La comida ahui is mejor que gentes hablan sobre it. Most of it es muy bueno! I've also lost 10 pounds so far and hope to keep losing! ^^

en la noche de martes yo fue muy suertemente! There was a general authority devotional con 6 apostoles!! D Todd Christoffersen was the speaker and every word was like pure doctrine it was AMAZING!!! He talked about the worth of souls and my favorite line had to have been "The worth of a soul is its capacity to become like god" Thats been ringing in my ears ever since I heard it, its very important for me as a missionary to recognize that in every person I meet and treat them with all the love christ has given me to help them recognize the importance of their own souls. I need to be ready whenever God would have me to help everyone in need!

Con mucho amor

Elder Thompson IV

P.S. recorda cartas son muy mejor! (I love letters ;) )

P.S.S. La bendicion ricibé de presidante Brown fue verdad, Soy aprendiendo la idioma de español muy rapído! Deseo ser fluinte cuando dejo!

Some Pics from the MTC... (Week 1)

Guess he wasn't done yet! Last but not least...a note and some pics from Elder Thompson from the MTC...


Wednesday, June 18th
also i forgot to tell you guys something awesome! The devotional we went to last night was amazing we got to listen to elder Ballard. 6 out of these last 7 weeks an apostle has come to the devotionals which is more then ever before! I feel like something big is coming in the church and I am glad I might be here to witness it!

Apparently they are being fed well? lol...

Re: Picture of the Week! (Week 1)

 I started a "picture of the week" to include Elder Thompson in our adventures each week, family activities, or just plain goofiness which I know he misses...and this is what I sent him.

I thought he was done writing because he just writes us all in bulk but I was one happy mama to find a small but sweet email in my box.

Wednesday, June 18th

thank you so much for the picture and the letter :) love you tons and I thought I would just email you personally really quick before my time is up ^^ LOVE YOU! Already I know that the mission is so far one of the best decisions I ever made! besides choosing you as a mom in the pre-life ;) spanish is coming really quick and so is the doctrina, im very confident ill be almost if not completely fluent by the time i leave here ^^ I just met a soon to be mission president and his wife from Argentina and they speak poco english, and I held a 30 minute conversation with them con no problemas! I LOVE IT!!! God speed sister Cannon AKA mi mama. Talk to you in a week ^^

love,

yyour son, 

Elder Thompson IV

My first week as a missionary!

I have to say it brings peace to a mother's heart to hear from her son.  You may think a week is a short time, but for me...it was agony waiting to hear if he was struggling, doing great, missing home, or whatever the trial may be.  I have been on the phone nonstop with Missionary mall with the struggle of them not delivering his slacks to him so it's been stressful to say the least...knowing he only has two pair right now.  "The Unknown" was always the culprit and the adversary knew that and knew how to tug on my heart strings.  I am grateful for blessings, for prayer and the power of the priesthood to calm my heart and my son's.  I am grateful to know he is in the Master's hands and that he is doing His work and being molded in His image.  Here is his first "official" letter home to all family for P-day.  (Not including father's day where they were able to get permission to write a short note).



Wednesday, June 18th
My First Week as a Missionary!
May I just start out and say how much I love to be a missionary! This first week has been quite long but the older missionaries here say it gets much quicker after the first week. I thank you guys for your emails and especially for the picture of Deacon which I plan to cut out and put in my wallet. Most of all I thank you guys for your testimonies and prayers because I believe they have really helped me. I was sad my first day missing you guys, however the spirit of the lord filled me and comforted me and immediately I delved into the work. 

With learning spanish I was getting down on myself for not learning fast enough. Then I realized I need to rely on the Lord and he will bless us. I also realized that already I can hold a full conversation the our mock investigator in spanish ^^ (although we sound like cavemen) Somos aprendiendo el idioma de espanol muy rapido. I try my best to keep all the rules of the mission field and correct myself when I slip and I know its helping me to become a constant companion of the holy ghost. I hope to always have his spirit by the time I reach the mission field. Ensenando la lecciones con David ("investigator") es bien. I've already learned soo much just in this first week and can't wait to learn more. 

I'm also loving my companions and enjoy spending time with everyone in my zone. My companion is Elder Nielson, he's a bit quiet with me right now because we have quite a few different beliefs about the church, however Its been better over these last two days and i think he is warming up to me. ;) Sometimes I feel like the elders in my class make it feel more like a fraternity than a class of the lord, but i talked to them and a teacher talked to them and already the spirit resides there a lot more.

To answer how I'm learning the spanish so quick, It is 80% the lord and 20% my work, the gift of tongues is real and I testify it works. I love the spanish language!

Yo se que Dios es amoroso y ayude me y mi companeros. Yo se que por medio de El Espiritu Santo y Fe en Jesu Cristo todo casas es possible. Gracias por su amor.

Love you all so much and can't wait to write again next week!

Love, Elder Thompson IV

P.S. Thank you mom for being on top of things :)

P.S.S. tell dad to email me :)

Missionaries say goodbye to their families for two years so that others can be with theirs for eternity...

I said goodbye to my sweet son on Wednesday, June 11th for 2 years.  I know the people of Mexico will love him as much as I do.  I know I sent him well prepared for the task the Lord has in store for him.  I have watched him prepare, pray, fast, and work hard to learn the things he needed to so that he could bring the gospel to those in Mexico.  I have no doubt in my mind and soul that this is the will of the Lord.  However, my earthly heart is in pieces as I try to keep it together and constantly remind myself that the time will go fast and sooner than later he will be back in my arms again.  I find comfort in the scripture:

"Weeping may

endure for a night,

but joy cometh in

the morning."

Psalm 30:5

I know that my Lord and Redeemer live.  I know that He is here with me...guiding me AND my son.  I know that He loves me and weeps with me.  I know that if my Father in heaven gave His only begotten Son to be crucified in this world to save us all...surely, I could give up my son for two small years.  I am weak.  But with Him, through Him...I can become strong.  This gospel is true.  I know this.  I am proud to be a daughter of God.  To rear up these young men to be righteous, strong youth, warriors of God...to serve with all their might and bring the gospel to his lost sheep on this earth.  I know this to be true and am happy to be a witness to this.  Even if it is miles away...from a computer screen...or a Skype phone call twice a year.  I'll take what I can get.  Love my boy.